Ra Ho-yeon and Cha Si-yoon were utterly horrified by my declaration that I’d go out, even if I had to use brute force.
“You’re… going to break the window?”
“I don’t see why not.”
Lately, I’d been looking like a frail mess, so maybe these rookie Espers had forgotten—
I wasn’t weak.
Compared to your average Guide, I had far more physical strength. Breaking a damn window? Child’s play.
If logic and reason don’t work, I’ll just bulldoze my way through.
Honestly, I’m more comfortable with this method anyway. Simple and direct.
Besides, even if I got injured, Resurrection would kick in, and I’d heal up in no time. All I’d have to do is grit my teeth through a bit of pain. Easy.
When I rolled up my sleeves, both of their faces turned ghostly pale.
They knew.
They knew I was the type of lunatic who meant it when he said shit like that.
Ra Ho-yeon pressed a hand to his forehead.
“You’re really gonna do this?”
“As long as you let me leave, I promise there’ll be no bloodshed.”
“…Haa.”
After agonizing for a moment, he pulled out his phone from his pocket.
Then he turned to Cha Si-yoon—who was fidgeting nervously, eyes flicking between us—and said,
“Si-yoon, go wake up Tae-boem and Yoon-chae. Get them to help hold Yu-jin back.”
“Ah—got it, hyung.”
“If you’d just let me go peacefully, none of this would be necessary.”
Of course, Ra Ho-yeon looked like he didn’t believe me for a second. But I was being honest.
Cha Si-yoon hurried off and soon returned, dragging Shin Tae-boem and Seo Yoon-chae with him. They looked like they’d just rolled out of bed, hair sticking out in every direction, but the moment they heard I was about to cause another incident, they must’ve rushed out in a panic.
They each grabbed one of my arms and sat down on the floor, anchoring themselves like sandbags.
“At least wipe the gunk out of your eyes before coming out.”
I scolded the two who hadn’t even washed their faces. Seo Yoon-chae flushed bright red.
“I-I was going to wash up! If someone hadn’t been doing weird shit again!”
Shin Tae-boem, on the other hand, quietly used his hand to wipe the crust from his eyes.
“There. Happy?”
“…Sure.”
I had no idea why he needed my approval for that.
Even with both of them latched onto my arms like dead weight, I was completely relaxed.
Getting rid of these two? Easy.
Compared to the training I went through in my past life—designed to prepare me in case I got grabbed by monsters—this was nothing.
Secreti’s members were way too soft. They’d grown up in a cozy greenhouse, nothing like the savage, survival-driven Espers I’d trained alongside.
Seeing the confident glint in my eye, Ra Ho-yeon finally gave up and pulled out his phone.
“Yes, CEO. Yu-jin says that if we don’t let him out, he’s going to break the window and run.”
—WHAT?!
Word for word, not even a syllable left out—The bastard sold me out with irritating precision.
***
In the end, the CEO raised the white flag.
—You’re being so stubborn I don’t have a choice, but I’m warning you: DO NOT cause trouble! Things are already a mess right now. Stay away from anything even remotely dangerous, got it?!
I had to endure a barrage of nagging and worried lectures before I was finally allowed to step outside.
Even as I left the dorm, the members reminded me over and over to call the moment anything happened.
“The Center’s not too far. If you need us, we’ll be there in a flash.”
If I were any other Guide, I might’ve been touched by that. But I wasn’t.
“Yeah, okay.”
I gave a half-hearted nod, and Seo Yoon-chae looked like he’d just been slapped.
His face practically said, That’s not the reaction I was hoping for…
Honestly, if something did happen while I was at the Bureau, I’d welcome it.
All the recent attacks on ability users? That was X’s doing. We had no clue how far his influence extended. But if he was monitoring me or the Bureau’s movements, there was a decent chance he’d show up again.
Let’s see what happens.
My heart pounded, like I was standing at the edge of a battlefield with no way of knowing what lay ahead.
When I stepped outside, a sleek black sedan was waiting for me. A Bureau vehicle.
Originally, I was going to take Manager Hyun-soo’s van, but the CEO had nixed that—said it would attract too much attention. That’s how I ended up hitching a ride from the Bureau instead.
As I got in, I saw Shin Yoon-hee already seated in the passenger seat.
Even before she noticed me, her face was clouded over like a thunderstorm was brewing.
“So you actually came…”
“What, you were expecting a decoy? I made a promise with a government official. Of course I’m going to keep it.”
She clearly knew I was bullshitting—her dry laugh made that obvious. Then she told the driver to start moving.
Inside the car, a transparent screen was showing a live broadcast. A reporter in safety gear was delivering breaking news.
—This just in. Following the dungeon break incident at XX Park, additional dungeon breaks have begun occurring in rapid succession. While Hunters from private guilds and the Bureau are responding, the situation remains highly unstable. Police warn citizens to avoid the affected areas, even if the gates have been cleared, as the threat level remains high…
The Bureau agent in the driver’s seat looked uneasy as he spoke up.
“Director—uh, I mean, sunbae. Doesn’t something feel seriously off with the dungeons lately? I mean, it’s weird, right? They’re just blowing up all of a sudden, with no warning. It’s not normal.”
Shin Yoon-hee, clearly irritated, ripped open a snack bag from the glove compartment and replied in a grumpy tone.
“I don’t know. We don’t have the results of the investigations yet. Take the Jin Eutteum case, for example. The cops and the Bureau basically gave up halfway. Declared him dead without even trying to dig deeper. Then when they did find his body, it was burned to a crisp right alongside his cousin Jin Yi-rang…”
“But didn’t the investigation conclude that Yi-rang committed the crime out of jealousy and delusion?”
“Yeah, and that doesn’t sit right with me. Yi-rang was an E-rank Hunter. Bottom of the barrel. Basically a joke. And we’re supposed to believe he moved Jin Eutteum’s corpse—who was reported missing in a dungeon—to some abandoned factory way out in the mountains?”
“…So you think he had help?”
“That’s my guess. It’s the kind of crime you couldn’t pull off alone. But the biggest red flag? The traces of lightning all over that factory.”
“Wait, but ‘lightning’ was Jin Eutteum’s ability, wasn’t it?”
“Exactly. That’s what’s so weird. Jin Eutteum’s ability should’ve died with him. An Esper’s power disappears when they die. So why are there still signs of ‘lightning’ having been used?”
“Maybe… he was still alive at the time? What if he fought with Yi-rang and used his power during the struggle?”
“Doubtful. If he’d been alive, he could’ve survived—escaped without burning up alongside Yi-rang. But he was found wrapped up like a mummy in a sleeping bag and plastic tarp. Based on the time of death, it doesn’t add up. None of it does. But for some reason, the higher-ups don’t seem interested in looking any deeper.”
Unclaimed powers gone rogue.
As soon as I heard that, I knew they were talking about the site of Je-ha and X’s battle.
What surprised me, though, was the government’s reaction. An Esper—valuable human capital—died under suspicious circumstances, yet they had no intention of launching a thorough investigation.
Je-ha said he suspects X is connected to someone in the government or the corporate world…
Could this really be X’s doing?
A chill ran down my spine at the thought that X’s influence might be far greater than I’d assumed.
If Je-ha was right—and if X has access to several powerful mind-control abilities like the one he used on Yi-rang—it’s not impossible.
Honestly, it’s a miracle things haven’t gone to hell yet.
Shin Yoon-hee glanced over at me as I stared at the transparent screen.
“What do you think about all this, Guide Yeon Yu-jin?”
“Hmm. Well… First off, I hope nobody else gets hurt because of these dungeon breaks.”
And then…
“As unlikely as it sounds, if these dungeon breaks are actually the work of someone deliberately triggering them in a chain of organized attacks… I’d really like to get a good look at that bastard’s face.”
***
We arrived at the Center.
The Bureau’s headquarters—commonly referred to as “the Center”—was a dazzling building, no less impressive than any famous architectural landmark. Its glass facade sparkled in the sunlight.
Must’ve spent a ton of taxpayer money from Espers and Guides on this place.
Following the staff, I was led to a restricted entrance, one only a select few were allowed to access.
There was a single elevator.
The Director handed me a temporary access card and warned me repeatedly.
“You’ll be entering the Bureau’s subterranean core facility. The only place you’re allowed to go is the data archive. Don’t stray from that area.”
“And if I do?”
“You’ll be treated like a rat trying to break into the Bureau—and promptly dragged off to the interrogation room. Not just any room, either. The one run by the Bureau internally.”
